Processes for making fluoropolymers by an emulsion process commonly uses perfluorinated or highly fluorinated surfactants to stabilize the emulsion during the reaction. For example, perfluorocarboxylate salts may be used to stabilize fluoropolymer emulsion polymerizations, with the most common example being ammonium perfluorooctanoate. The high degree of fluorination in the surfactant is thought to prevent or reduce atom transfer between a growing polymer chain and the surfactant during polymerization, which would result in lowered product molecular weight and likely inhibition of the polymerization. Such fluorosurfactants are expensive, specialized materials, however, and because of their high stability, they tend to persist in the environment. Thus nonfluorinated surfactants suitable for making fluoropolymers, and processes using these surfactants, would be beneficial.